While I was reading this weird, literature-infused journey of an Iranian exile, I often found myself laughing at the downright obnoxious narrator and protagonist, Zebra. She's cerebral and smart and distrusting and in-your-face as much as I've seen any character in a book be—there were times I said out loud to the page, "dude, chill ouuuut," though, perhaps this might be due to having read this on a tropical beach? ¡Quien sabe!

Zebra calls herself a literary terrorist and believes herself to belong to no land after escaping Iran as a young girl in the 80s. She references Don Quixote A LOT through this novel, which I've never read (though know the general story and characters), and I wonder if that added context is needed. Because while I was always shaken awake by Zebra and her destructive ways full of strident monologues and interactions with people, I felt the way the plot moved forward a bit tepid. I love a weird book (you know me!), but whew, sometimes it exhausted me to travel with Zebra. And yet, there's that feeling of protection there within me, too, as a witness to her journey of exile as a child. There's the tragedy that permeates beneath her angering exterior.

At one point I thought about the nameless narrator from MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION and her similar brusqueness when dealing with people, also shaded with such wonderful dark humor. It isn't until now that I realize both of these authors are Iranian and I wonder if there's something to this style of fictional narrator and their backgrounds? Or all coincidence!